As you've probably noticed...it's been quite a long while since I've posted. Every time I sit down to write an update, I am at a loss of what to say.
Things are going well. I've been at post for about 3 months now and on most days I love it.
I probably wont post here again for a while since I really much prefer emails and telephone calls (yay for the cell phone tower in my village).
A bientot
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
I'm officially a Peace Corps volunteer! Swear-in was on Friday and I move to my village tomorrow. I'm very nervous about going; but I think i'll be fine once I settle in, learn more of the local language, and start meeting people.
It will be interesting getting to village tomorrow. I'm sharing a bush taxi with another volunteer and I have absolutely no idea how all of our stuff it supposed to fit in one vehicle. Apparently it has always worked. We shall see. I'll definitely take pictures of the process as it will most likely be hilarious.
I suppose that is about all for now. I wont be near a computer for a while, but I'll post again when I can. In the meantime write me lots of letters!!!!
It will be interesting getting to village tomorrow. I'm sharing a bush taxi with another volunteer and I have absolutely no idea how all of our stuff it supposed to fit in one vehicle. Apparently it has always worked. We shall see. I'll definitely take pictures of the process as it will most likely be hilarious.
I suppose that is about all for now. I wont be near a computer for a while, but I'll post again when I can. In the meantime write me lots of letters!!!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
less than 3 weeks til' swear-in and post!
Wow, it's really funny how fast the time is going!
Last weekend I went to visit my village in the north of Benin. It was awesome. The principal of the school where I will be teaching is just an awesome man. I felt nothing but good karma coming from him which was great. My village is small and my house has no electricity and no running water, though my neighbor has a generator and he said he'd be willing to charge my cell phone and other electronic for me which is great. My house consists of one large living room with two rooms off of it. I will be using one as my bedroom and the other as my kitchen. There is a back door which leads to a small walled-in yard where i plan on planting a garden and there is a little cement building out back too with an outdoor kitchen and my bucket shower room. The pit latrine is about 20 meters away. I'm probably going to hire 2 girls to help me clean, do laundry and get water from the public pump. In exchange for their help, I will pay their school fees for them for the year. This way it's a win-win situation.
I met all of the members of the parent-teacher association in my village and we had a great conversation about the importance of girls education which got me very excited. I'm hoping to get involved with the girls club at the school and work with an NGO in my village that works on keeping girls in school.
I have less than 3 weeks of training to go now. I'm excited to move out of my host family and into my own home. I think the first few months at post will be a definite adjustment, but also very exciting. I've started local language classes in Bariba (the local language in my village) too! I can say all of the greetings and I am learning to barter for when I go shopping in the market. In 2 years I hope i'm fluent...we'll have to see how that goes :)
Okay, until next time. OH, don't forget to send me emails and letters!!!!!!!!!!!
Last weekend I went to visit my village in the north of Benin. It was awesome. The principal of the school where I will be teaching is just an awesome man. I felt nothing but good karma coming from him which was great. My village is small and my house has no electricity and no running water, though my neighbor has a generator and he said he'd be willing to charge my cell phone and other electronic for me which is great. My house consists of one large living room with two rooms off of it. I will be using one as my bedroom and the other as my kitchen. There is a back door which leads to a small walled-in yard where i plan on planting a garden and there is a little cement building out back too with an outdoor kitchen and my bucket shower room. The pit latrine is about 20 meters away. I'm probably going to hire 2 girls to help me clean, do laundry and get water from the public pump. In exchange for their help, I will pay their school fees for them for the year. This way it's a win-win situation.
I met all of the members of the parent-teacher association in my village and we had a great conversation about the importance of girls education which got me very excited. I'm hoping to get involved with the girls club at the school and work with an NGO in my village that works on keeping girls in school.
I have less than 3 weeks of training to go now. I'm excited to move out of my host family and into my own home. I think the first few months at post will be a definite adjustment, but also very exciting. I've started local language classes in Bariba (the local language in my village) too! I can say all of the greetings and I am learning to barter for when I go shopping in the market. In 2 years I hope i'm fluent...we'll have to see how that goes :)
Okay, until next time. OH, don't forget to send me emails and letters!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
I received my post assignment last Friday! I will be living in a small village north of Parakou in the North of Benin. My village has no electricity and no running water, so this should be an interesting experience. Kerosene will be my new best friend. I was supposed to leave today to visit my village and stay until Sunday, however, I've been a little sick so I can't go :( I'm upset I will not be able to see my house and village before I move in. However, I've talked to a few current PCVs about it and they've all said it's not a huge deal to miss Post Visit. Most people use Post Visit to see what furniture their house has so they know what to buy, however, since I am the first PCV to be in my village, my house will be completely empty and I will have to buy everything for it...YAY interior decorating!
Training is going well but it's not exactly my favorite cup of tea. My host family is very nice, but I still feel very much like a guest in their home. I also don't like having to rely on other people for meals and having to report my daily activities. I'm excited to move to post in September and feel like an adult again. Training classes are good. I love my french teacher, she is super nice! The technical classes for TEFL volunteers are very informative but long. I enjoy the bicycle maintenance and cooking session a lot though! From what current volunteers have told me, life as a volunteers is nothing at all like life as a trainee. So only 5 weeks more of training and then it's swear-in...YAY! Swear-in ceremony also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps in Benin so we're getting special 40th anniversary fabric so we will all have matching outfits...yesssss.
Other than that, not much else to report, or rather there is a ton more to report but writing it here doesn't seem to do it justice.
Until next time...
(don't forget to write and email!!!)
Training is going well but it's not exactly my favorite cup of tea. My host family is very nice, but I still feel very much like a guest in their home. I also don't like having to rely on other people for meals and having to report my daily activities. I'm excited to move to post in September and feel like an adult again. Training classes are good. I love my french teacher, she is super nice! The technical classes for TEFL volunteers are very informative but long. I enjoy the bicycle maintenance and cooking session a lot though! From what current volunteers have told me, life as a volunteers is nothing at all like life as a trainee. So only 5 weeks more of training and then it's swear-in...YAY! Swear-in ceremony also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps in Benin so we're getting special 40th anniversary fabric so we will all have matching outfits...yesssss.
Other than that, not much else to report, or rather there is a ton more to report but writing it here doesn't seem to do it justice.
Until next time...
(don't forget to write and email!!!)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Hello from Benin!
I'm here safe and sound! People are all nice and so far i'm very impressed with Peace Corps organization, safety and program, etc. etc.
I move in with my homestay family on Wednesday and will be in training until the beginning of September. I'll find out my permanent post in a few weeks too!
There's no much to say but I don't really have much time to post because I'm in the PC bureau office in Cotonou and there are people waiting to use this computer.
I miss you!
I'm here safe and sound! People are all nice and so far i'm very impressed with Peace Corps organization, safety and program, etc. etc.
I move in with my homestay family on Wednesday and will be in training until the beginning of September. I'll find out my permanent post in a few weeks too!
There's no much to say but I don't really have much time to post because I'm in the PC bureau office in Cotonou and there are people waiting to use this computer.
I miss you!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
off to Benin!
Just got back from the clinic...luckily no shots were needed since I've had them all already! YAY! The buses are coming in a few hours to take us to the airport and our flight is later this evening.
So far everyone I've met has been very nice. There are 64 people in my group which is much larger than I anticipated but I like it because there are more people to meet. The women outnumber the men by far and there is only one married couple. For the most part, everyone else is in their 20s.
I'm excited to finally arrive in Benin, although I'm getting nervous again (It's been coming in waves since I got to Philadelphia on Tuesday). I think it's the time that scares me most and missing out on things back home, but I think I'd always wonder what I was missing out on in Benin if I was staying home so the knife cutes both ways I suppose. We don't arrive in Benin until Friday at which point we have a few more days of orientation and training before getting to our host family where we will be living until we are sworn in as official volunteers on September 5th. It will be so nice to unpack a few things! This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps Benin. PC Benin has been continuous since 1968, which is impressive! Apparently the swearing in ceremony of my Peace Corps class is Incorporated into the big 40th celebration so I expect it to be an incredible time and something to look forward to.
I'm told that my work sector (TEFL) will get our post assignments early and that we will be going on a visit to it somewhere in our 4th week in country which I am SO EXCITED for. At that time I'll get to meet some future co-workers and see my future home!
As far as when you might here from me again: I know that I will not be able to get to the Internet or a telephone for the first few days, but hopefully by the end of next week I will have sent our a few emails or posted here. In the meantime, leave me messages here or shoot an email and WRITE ME LETTERS...hand written things are my favorite. :)
So far everyone I've met has been very nice. There are 64 people in my group which is much larger than I anticipated but I like it because there are more people to meet. The women outnumber the men by far and there is only one married couple. For the most part, everyone else is in their 20s.
I'm excited to finally arrive in Benin, although I'm getting nervous again (It's been coming in waves since I got to Philadelphia on Tuesday). I think it's the time that scares me most and missing out on things back home, but I think I'd always wonder what I was missing out on in Benin if I was staying home so the knife cutes both ways I suppose. We don't arrive in Benin until Friday at which point we have a few more days of orientation and training before getting to our host family where we will be living until we are sworn in as official volunteers on September 5th. It will be so nice to unpack a few things! This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps Benin. PC Benin has been continuous since 1968, which is impressive! Apparently the swearing in ceremony of my Peace Corps class is Incorporated into the big 40th celebration so I expect it to be an incredible time and something to look forward to.
I'm told that my work sector (TEFL) will get our post assignments early and that we will be going on a visit to it somewhere in our 4th week in country which I am SO EXCITED for. At that time I'll get to meet some future co-workers and see my future home!
As far as when you might here from me again: I know that I will not be able to get to the Internet or a telephone for the first few days, but hopefully by the end of next week I will have sent our a few emails or posted here. In the meantime, leave me messages here or shoot an email and WRITE ME LETTERS...hand written things are my favorite. :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
1 week...
in exactly 1 week I'll be at staging in Philadelphia...wow. I'm scared, nervous, sad, excited, thrilled, anxious, happy, and excited all at the same time.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
wow...
July 1st is just around the corner...crazy. Over the next two weeks the vast majority of "goodbyes" will occur and I'm getting nervous. I did a test pack of all my gear last week, and I'm 10 lbs. over the limit so this week I'll mess with different luggage and weed out what I don't think I'll really need. Worst case scenario: I take my over weight limit bags to Philly with me and see if anyone else has some extra room in their bags or I just pay the extra $$ at the airport. No big deal, just annoying.
My freakouts are becoming almost daily, but not as bad as expected. I can usually calm down if I call a good friend and have a good long chat. Anyone getting these??? I've decided to mentally break up my PC term into 6 month blocks. For now, I'm just going to focus on the time between now and January 2009. At that point I'll start to focus on the next six months, and so on, and so on. As many friends and family members have told me, it's much easier to look at something in small pieces rather than the whole. Very true.
I keep reminding myself when I get overwhelmed with the 26 month time period and worrying that I'm missing out on something back home that I'm still ridiculously young and it will all be here when I get home. When my service is up I'll only be 23 and NYC will still be its wonderful self with all its wonderful people waiting for me...
Monday, April 28, 2008
time is flying!
gah! university graduation is 3 weeks from Wednesday and PC staging is 9 weeks from tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went to the NYC Peace Corps send off ceremony down at NYU on Saturday. I met 5 RPCVs from Benin, 3 of whom were TEFL volunteers. It was great to talk to them and ask specific questions about clothes, climate, living conditions, etc. They definitely put my mind at easy and told me how the TEFL program is the most established PC program in Benin and that it is very well run. They also told me that there are minimum housing standards and that odds are my house will have a cement floor and walls with a tin roof. Electricity and water supply varies by site but apparently volunteers can voice any specific preferences during training and the staff will try to place people where they will be happiest.
I hope that staging information comes soon. I've heard that it will probably be in Philly, however, I'm kind of hoping it'll be in D.C. so that I can say a last good buy to my sister and a few friends that will be there. We shall see...
I went to the NYC Peace Corps send off ceremony down at NYU on Saturday. I met 5 RPCVs from Benin, 3 of whom were TEFL volunteers. It was great to talk to them and ask specific questions about clothes, climate, living conditions, etc. They definitely put my mind at easy and told me how the TEFL program is the most established PC program in Benin and that it is very well run. They also told me that there are minimum housing standards and that odds are my house will have a cement floor and walls with a tin roof. Electricity and water supply varies by site but apparently volunteers can voice any specific preferences during training and the staff will try to place people where they will be happiest.
I hope that staging information comes soon. I've heard that it will probably be in Philly, however, I'm kind of hoping it'll be in D.C. so that I can say a last good buy to my sister and a few friends that will be there. We shall see...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I sent out all of the passport/visa, aspiration statement/resume fabulousness last week which is good! I also have a complete mental list of everything I will be packing so I'm feeling good in that department too.
It's somewhat stressful though: I'm very excited, but very terrified. I know what to expect being that this is extended trip #3 to Africa, but I still have some days where I'm so intimidated by the idea of 2 years that all of the exciting parts are overshadowed. I have to work hard to bring myself back to the state of mind that understands that this is what I want to be doing, that 2 years isn't that long when you really think about, that the people I love and care about that are there to support me and will always be there, and that this decision feels right.
I've been spending as much time as possible with friends as I can. Graduation and all awesome senior events have started...for now I'm just trying to soak up as much of my friends, family, and nyc as possible. I will miss them.
It's somewhat stressful though: I'm very excited, but very terrified. I know what to expect being that this is extended trip #3 to Africa, but I still have some days where I'm so intimidated by the idea of 2 years that all of the exciting parts are overshadowed. I have to work hard to bring myself back to the state of mind that understands that this is what I want to be doing, that 2 years isn't that long when you really think about, that the people I love and care about that are there to support me and will always be there, and that this decision feels right.
I've been spending as much time as possible with friends as I can. Graduation and all awesome senior events have started...for now I'm just trying to soak up as much of my friends, family, and nyc as possible. I will miss them.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The invite is here!
My invite finally came in the mail on Monday! I'm going to Benin! I'm very excited as this was one of the countries I was hoping to be sent to. I've been extraordinarily happy all week and I can't wait to meet the other volunteers going to Benin.
For now it's all about getting the necessary paperwork done and shopping for all the things I want to bring with me while trying to finish up my final semester of school! So busy, but so good.
For now it's all about getting the necessary paperwork done and shopping for all the things I want to bring with me while trying to finish up my final semester of school! So busy, but so good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
